"Stop worrying about me and take care of your own health, Raphael."
"These are dangerous times."
Raphael continued to sigh deeply, wondering what was so worrying him.
I felt like I had a kind of sense of guilt because the reason I got involved in dangerous things was to lift my own curse.
This is nothing compared to what he did for me.
I put my arm around Raphael's shoulder as he sat there with a faint smile.
I reassured him with a light hug and outlined my plans for the future.
"Now that we know where the auction is being held, it's only a matter of time before we have solid evidence. After that, the Second Prince and the Knights of the Grand Duke's House will work together to help us."
Raphael naturally leaned his face against my arm and listened to the next words.
"So there's no danger for me. Have a safe trip."
Until then, I was confident in my own words.
I regained my memories from before time was turned back. That means I even remembered my magical skills that I had once forgotten.
I added forgotten experiences to the skills I had honed so far. I thought it was enough to protect my body.
When I met Raphael's eyes, I smiled as brightly as I could.
***
The next day, Raphael left the Grand Duke's residence early in the morning, leaving me behind.
I also heard that Sarah had vacated the Grand Duke's residence and gone out.
To find solid evidence, we had to find not only the location where the auction was held but also where they stored the 'goods' before the auction.
Until just a few months ago, the Duke had been holding his position firmly in place.
However, Marta, who was in charge of the reputation in social circles, stepped down from her position, and before she could fill the vacancy, the Duke's business also began to collapse and he was losing investors.
Even though I was speeding up, it was bound to be revealed someday that I was just flashy on the outside and empty on the inside.
'So we can do it. Now even the Second Prince is on our side.'
As I was organizing my complicated thoughts, I began to hear hurried footsteps coming from the hallway.
After knocking, the door opened and a maid came in carrying a tray with a letter on it.
"I'm sorry. Your High. I was told that this was an urgent letter."
"You didn't leave your name?"
The maid nodded. It was my first time seeing her face, but the Grand Duke's residence was so large and there were so many servants that I couldn't remember them all.
I didn't pay much attention, but instead accepted the letter handed to me by the maid who had come running so fast that she was out of breath.
The empty envelope had no sender's stamp or name written on it.
'Did Sophia come up with this method to keep things safe?'
I had promised in advance that I would not reply to the encrypted message I sent her yesterday.
I had a bad feeling about this, so I sent the maid away and immediately opened the letter. As expected, my heart sank as soon as I saw the contents.
[Miss, please come right now. I need you. I'm in the alley where the fire broke out.]
It was Sarah.
Her handwriting was unkempt as if she had been scribbled in a rush.
If it's something urgent enough to require you to come find me... it must be something related to the Duke.
Why did you head back to that alley? To find traces of your former master?
But that didn't matter now. I began to sweat at the thought that Sarah might be in danger by now.
'I can't let Sarah get hurt. She gave up everything for me once...'
There was no time to think deeply.
I thought I had to go horseback riding, so I quickly changed into comfortable clothes to go out.
I tried to find the maid I had sent out into the hallway earlier, but she wasn't there.
'I was going to ask if she remembered the face of the person who told her."
For now, I hurried to the training ground as I was in a hurry. I planned to ask my escort knight for help after a long time.
I was worried that Hayden wouldn't be there, but as expected from a sincere person like him, I was able to find him right away.
I shouted my name loudly as I wielded my sword alone.
"Hayden! Come with me. I need two horses, right now."
I wanted to believe that it wouldn't be dangerous, but I had to take an escort for the sake of Raphael, who was worried about me.
Hayden didn't even ask what was going on and just put on his armor.
"I have already heard His Highness's order to serve Your Highness thoroughly. I will escort you safely."
***
"Where are you going?"
"It's an alley on Montreal Street. It'll be quicker to go through the woods."
I left the Grand Duke's residence with Hayden, the hem of my long cloak fluttering.
When my anxious and restless mind had calmed down somewhat, I glanced at him riding his horse behind me and thought.
'Hayden is a great knight, but he is more accustomed to force. If we face a warlock like last time, I will be the one to deal with him.'
Yesterday's events must have drained his magical powers, but let's still call Vermont.
Knowing this would happen, I packed a small snack knife in my outerwear pocket.
I rode a horse through the dense forest, holding the reins with one hand.
I bit the glove on my other hand with my mouth and pulled out the knife. I balanced myself on the saddle with the strength of my thighs and made a small cut on my fingertip.
I got used to it and succeeded in drawing a small amount of blood at a time. A faint red aura appeared on my fingertips.
Soon, I waited for Vermont to appear before my eyes with a pop.
But even after waiting a sufficient amount of time, Vermont was not summoned.
My eyes shook in confusion the first time, but I soon pulled myself together and realized that I had made a mistake.
'I guess I was so impatient that I thought I had succeeded even though I didn't bleed.'
Once again, I was precariously Injured as if performing a trick on horseback.
Because I had applied force, the wound was a little deep, and red blood flowed out immediately.
But still, Vermont did not appear before me.
I pulled the reins with a confused face and slowly brought the running horse to a halt.
"Why are you doing that?"
Hayden, who had stopped following me, asked loudly and worriedly.
"Just a moment. Just a moment..."
Experiencing something for the first time made me feel anxious and scared.
I wonder if something happened to Vermont like Sarah. What if he was badly injured and couldn't answer my call?
'No, in times like this, I have to stay calm.'
I forced my head to move, taking a deep breath of the cold forest air. Then, suddenly, a memory I had before turning back time came to mind.
'Please, Vermont. Come out.'
I tried to summon him, struggling to squeeze out all my remaining magical power.
Surely, just like that time, the problem is not with Vermont but with me.
I tried to memorize a simple spell to quickly create a flame.
"No. The magic power doesn't move."
I muttered in a desperate voice.
There was no sense of magical movement at all as if a solid dam were blocking the waterfall from pouring down.
I even gave up on reciting the spell and tried to send out a small amount of magical power, but my body wouldn't follow suit.
It's been a long time since I've felt this helpless and scared. After all, am I nothing without magic?
"Hayden, I can't use my magic. My body feels weird."
There was no way something like this could happen suddenly for no reason.
I doubted everything as I chewed over the memories of yesterday and today.
Have you noticed anything strang e in your meals or met any strangers?
"You just noticed it now."
It was then that I heard something unbelievable.
I looked up. Hayden smiled and licked his lips.
"Didn't you find something strange about that letter earlier? You knew about the existence of the restraints that block magic power, but you probably didn't know that there was a scent that temporarily neutralized magic power, Your Highness."
[Miss, please come right now. I need you.]
Miss, no. We decided to call me Enrica from now on.
When I realized the discrepancy, goosebumps ran down my entire body.
The envelope contained a scent that neutralized my magic?
Where on earth did it start as a trap? Since when did Hayden...
I realized, fortunately, that his eyes were glowing red.
That meant that Hayden wasn't intentionally betraying me, but was being manipulated by dark magic.
I underestimated the warlock's skills and information power. They targeted the days when Raphael and Sarah were away.
"Hayden, wake up. Now..."
He picked up his empty scabbard faster than I could continue speaking.
Thud, there was a dull thud as Hayden struck the back of my neck.
The world turned sideways. Consciousness suddenly disappeared as if it had been pulled out.
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